By: Elizabeth Turner
Children ages 6 to 14 years with an autism spectrum disorder can have fun learning tennis at the Centennial Sportsplex, thanks to the Vanderbilt Club Tennis Team and the leadership of Vanderbilt student Scott Lancaster. ACEing Autism Tennis will be held Sundays from 3-4 p.m., beginning Sept. 6. Cost to participate in the six-week session is $60.
information and to register, contact Scott Lancaster at scott.t.lancaster@vanderbilt.edu, (804) 305-1376. To ensure a student volunteer for each child, enrollment will be limited. Registration is on first-come, first-served basis.
ACEing Autism uses tennis as a way to enhance health and fitness, hand-eye coordination, and motor development, and to improve the social skills of children with autism — and for children to have fun in the process. The program consists of warm-up, forehand/backhand hits, ball handling and racket drills, hand-eye coordination activities, and group games.
ACEing Autism Tennis was founded in 2008 in Boston by child neurologist Shafaili Jeste and tennis pro and MBA entrepreneur Richard Spurling. To date, ACEing Autism has provided organized tennis for hundreds of children with ASD across the U.S.
Scott Lancaster, director and coordinator for ACEing Autism, has been volunteering at the Vanderbilt’s ACEing Autism chapter for four years. He is a member of the Vanderbilt Club Tennis Team and works as an assistant tennis coach every summer. Lancaster is a senior majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Spanish. He is currently applying for medical school, as he aspires to become a pediatrician.
Last Updated: 8/10/2015 3:16:13 PM
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